Hating to Love You and Loving to Hate You
by Whisper's Song
Summary: Two enemies. The lion and snake. They ll be forced together in marriage to try and stop a pureblood, non pureblood war. Hate will turn to trust, trust to friendship and friendship to love. An epic love story that shows blood doesn't define who you are...
1. Wedding Blues

**A/N:** Enjoy!

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything of the Harry Potter brand. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.

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A wedding day was supposed to be the happiest day of anyone's life. It's an idea that's ingrained into every young girl's head as she watches cartoon princesses carried away by a charming prince. There seems to be no other option for a wedding to be thought of as for girls, but as Hermione Granger stood before the make shift alter, and before God, she blocked out what the priest was rambling on about. A cold knot of dread gripped her and kept her from running as far as she could away from here. There was no big white dress instead a white party dress she had bought a couple years ago for Easter. There were no friends or family beaming with approval and there would be no flowers, elaborate cake, or anyone to save her. They were eloping.

She knew in a few short minutes she would become Mrs. Malfoy. Even thinking the words put a bad taste in her mouth. Yet, she had thought it would've been easier than this because of her strong sense of duty and loyalty. She was the strong one of the trio and she was the one who could withstand anything it seemed with flying colors. When Dumbledore had told her the news of the law she knew what he was going to ask of her. There had been plenty of reports in the paper about the Pureblood and Muggle born attacks and everyone was on pins and needles about an impending war. It didn't surprise her that the Ministry would pass a law that forced Muggle borns of a certain age to marry Purebloods. She was the perfect poster child for the law because of her notoriety. She knew that her influence would speak volumes.

There were a few candidates to consider but slowly each one got crossed off. Snape wasn't an option she wanted to think about and Ron was already engaged. Eventually it led to her having Draco Malfoy as the last candidate. While it wasn't her first choice by a long shot he was just as good a poster boy for the cause. Logically she knew he would be the best choice to smooth over tensions. He knew he needed a bride to keep up with the family tradition and he certainly didn't like the crop of available Pureblood options. Not to mention making the Mudblood's life a living hell appealed to him also. Both of them were in a tough spot and grudgingly agreed to be married.

Within days everyone knew of their engagement. He had even tossed her an engagement ring in passing when they were in the same hall while walking to class. It looked like a small country almost with a massive diamond in the center entirely surrounded by emeralds. After the shock wore off she had to laugh, not only was it very Slytherin, but representative of her groom to be: a cold center surrounded by defensive walls. She wore it for show purposes and kept a brave face up for everyone. Most people suspected it was a forced marriage, but she always made sure she had a kind comment about Malfoy ready to disprove them with. It seemed as if she had been tainted by the ring, marked by a Slytherin, and no matter how much she washed it refused to go away.

The date was set right after graduation. She purposely didn't invite Harry, Ron, or any friends or family to the elopement. It hadn't taken much to convince her parents that she was truly in love and just wanted to be marry without any frills. Her friends though, she knew the looks that would appear on their faces if they attended, and if they were there she would beg them to take her away. They, along with everyone else, would find out in the paper tomorrow. There was no other choice, and after the ceremony she would move into the Malfoy Manner and begin being a wife. It seemed to take an eternity, but the priest finally asked her if she would take Draco to be her husband. She whispered the fatal words,

"I do."

Just like that the ceremony seemed to end. Malfoy was dragging her in front of some camera and she smiled on command. It was as if this day was happening to someone else and she was just watching it from a distance. Numbness was painted over her limbs because feeling the true loss of a dream from so long ago would consume her until only ashes were left. After being pushed into some sort of Muggle transportation, probably Dumbledore's idea to allow her time to process the day, it was only then she realized she was crying.

"Stop crying Mudblood, it's not like I like this arrangement either." Malfoy ordered. She looked up, wiped her tears and glared at Draco. _No one_ spoke to her that way. Something finally snapped in her and for the first time, in a long time, she felt the familiar spark of emotion.

"You know what Malfoy?" Hermione said, her voice surprisingly calm. "They say that cold hands means that the person has a warm heart. But you Malfoy, you are all ice." she shot back as she looked out the window. He didn't even look at her while she responded. It wasn't the best of come backs, but it was something other than just taking it lying down. Rain began to fall and a sense of irony fell over them. The Heavens seemed to cry for them.

Before long the spark started to catch flame inside her and she damned the people who voted the law into power. She was grateful at the very least that Lucius wouldn't have to be dealt with. After the war all the Death Eaters were convicted and sentenced to death. If Malfoy was saddened by his father's recent execution he didn't show it.

She willed herself to think about the positives about this situation. Dying was not one of her life goals and the situation couldn't be changed for a long time so she had to find something worthwhile. Slowly a list emerged. She was rich beyond any reason and she could fund this money into any organization she wanted. S.P.E.W. could really get off the ground now. She could take care of her parents. She could still pursue education and a job. He would not stop her from accomplishing her goals and dreams. Maybe she could get a position at Hogwarts so she could be away for long periods of time. A small smile found itself on her face and he noticed.

"What are you smiling about Mudblood?" Shaking her head and refused to answer him. They pulled up to the manner and she was stunned into silence. It was massive, at least three stories high, with the entire structure surrounded by thick white columns. There was a brick path that seemed to lead to the front door but also veered off into places she couldn't see from where she was. The lawn was neatly cut with a few flowers carefully placed here and there. Even though she had seen pictures of the mansion plenty of times before in the paper it was an entirely different experience in person. It was a glorious mansion, but it still seemed as if it was looking down on her and blatantly telling her she wasn't good enough to live there. She ran up to keep up with Malfoy, who was almost inside, and as they entered he whipped around,

"This is the Manner as you have guessed. Outside you can find the gardens. The Kitchen is that way." he said in a bored tone while pointing left. "You can cook all to your hearts content and not have to call a house elf. The main ballroom is on the other side of where we are standing." Hermione was floored, a _ballroom_? "Yes a ballroom Mudblood, don't look so shocked. You read the paper last time I recalled. One of your duties as my wife include hosting these events." She was going to have to throw parties?

"Listen mudblood, I'm only saying this once." he said, snapping Hermione out of her thoughts. "The dinning room is to the right. You can find out the other rooms on this floor on your own. We're going up the stairs." When they reached the top he continued. "The library is here, along with the drawing room across from it, also my office which I am to only go into. You have a office of your own should you decide to use it and that is the fifth door to the right. The breakfast room, sun room, and tea room are on the left. You can explore the other rooms later." As they came up another set of stairs he finished. "This is where all the bedrooms are. Mine is this way." he said pointing. "Those three over there are your choices for your room." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief at the fact she wouldn't be required to be a wife in every way. "That's it, any questions go ring for a house elf." he said, stalking away. She called back,

"Thanks for the tour sweetheart!" in a voice saturated with sweetness she had heard Pansy say before, and was happy to see him cringe a bit as he walked away until he was out of sight. Taking a peek into all three rooms she settled on the third which was covered in turquoise silk wallpaper that shimmered a bit in the dimming afternoon sun. There was a window leading to a balcony overlooking the gardens. Not a mention a bookcase with plenty of room for her book collection. Some things in the room she would change in the coming weeks, but for right now she sat on the bed and sighed.

"This room will do." as she said that, her bags appeared. She smiled as the books she had packed appeared in the bookcase. Laying down she studied the wedding ring that now kept the engagement ring company, a simple silver band. It was a very pretty combination, but she couldn't bear to wear it anymore. Taking them off she realized that while in private she didn't have to wear them anymore. In public she would have to, of course, but here there was no one to judge. The past few months had confined her into being this person she wasn't, and finally now she was allowed to be herself.

While she might have the last name of a Malfoy legally she would be forever a Granger in her mind's eye. Hermione _Granger_ had more than a couple friends that she wanted to come over. Hermione _Granger_ had plans to make Malfoy's life a living hell. Hermione _Granger_ was not going to let this law define her anymore, but instead let her define the law. She grinned. The anger and sadness that she once had were replaced with small feelings of hope.


	2. Promise

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything of the Harry Potter brand.

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"SWEETHEART!" called a amused Hermione, knocking on Draco's room door. "Won't you let me in?" Draco groaned and wished the girl would go take a long walk off a short pier. He stuck his head under his pillow, hoping to drown out the loud knocking Hermione was causing. Hermione tried to contain the giggles bubbling in her throat, hoping to mask the noise with knocking. She knew as well as anyone that Malfoys cared about how they looked, and part of that was a careful twelve hour sleep. She had calculated that Draco had so far gotten ten hours of sleep. 

When the knocking continued for five minutes, Draco sighed and realized that she wasn't giving up. He opened his door, looking quite pissed off, to a cheery Hermione.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked, trying not to yell at her. Hermione bent down and picked up a tray that was to her right, and replied,

"I thought we should talk." and she pushed him to the side and let herself into his bedroom. She noted it was typical Slytherin. Black walls, sliver furniture, and probably handcrafted wooden bed. Hermione really didn't know why he spent so much money on a bed that seemed to possibly swallow him in size. Quickly setting the tray down, she went over to the windows in the room and pushed back the curtains. Draco let out a sound of protest as the light hit his unaccustomed eyes directly. But after a couple minutes, Draco's eyes were fine and caught sight of what was actually on the tray. It was loaded with breakfast food items, orange juice, pancakes, bacon, cinnamon rolls, and eggs. And Draco being a typical male, grew instantly hungry and being a male assumed it was for him. He reached out to get the Orange Juice but his hand was slapped away by Hermione.

"Nuh uh. This is for me. Go get your own food, Ferret." She knew for a fact that Draco couldn't cook for anything, she knew he depended on his food being made for him. And so now she was going to torture him with eating all this food, right in front of him. She even told the house elves to not come to Draco's room if he tried to call for food. She took the tray and sat indian style on his bed. He rolled his eyes.

"How are you possibly going to eat all of that?" he asked.

"Watch me." she responded smugly. "Now, I think we didn't have much talking with us getting married and all." she continued very calmly, acting as if getting married were going to the store to pick up a carton of milk. "And I think we need to establish some ground rules." Draco snorted.

"I think we both know of our mutal hate for each other, Mudblood. You stay far away from me as possible and I'll do the same for you." and she nodded.

"I have, of course heard the rumors of the Malfoy family. You will not lay a hand on me. I will have access to the Malfoy Fortune to fund my foundation. I have full freedom to do whatever I want. And you will not have a mistress, no matter how replusive you seem to find me." Draco laughed at the how stupid the demands sounded to him and rolled his eyes.

"Honestly I'm not an abuser, I'm not my father, let's get that settled. You will get an allowance and you may spend _that_ however you want. I can't stop you from not having freedom. And why the hell do you care so much as to whether I take a mistress?" he asked curiously.

"Don't think I've suddenly had a lustful attraction to you, you ferret. I simply have an image as do you. I refuse to open the paper with your picture with some one night stand with a headline saying whatever. I will not have my name dragged through the mud and I quite like my private life, that. Private." Draco did agree with Hermione on her last statement. His family name had been powerful for generations and he didn't plan on it slipping anytime in the near future. He also did like his private life, private, because really it just made him more mysterious. And of course girls always like a bad boy right?

"Promise me." Hermione said.

"Your serious." Draco stated in disbelief. When he saw her determined look he finally sighed. "Fine, no mistress."

"Glad we're on the same page for once." she replied and paused. "Well I need to go to the library, glad we had this chat." The tray Hermione had brought in was only a quater eaten and much to Draco's disapointment, she carried the tray out with her when she left his room. As she quickly walked down the hall she muttered.

"Pig."

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Running her finger along the spine of various books, Hermione looked closely for the book she was desperately seeking. The Malfoy library was a very large and extensive wizard library, one of the best in Europe she had heard once. The books were spelled to update themselves as current events happened, which was quite rare anywhere in the world. She was looking in the law section of books and grinned when she had found the book she had been looking for. A book with all the rules and laws of the wizarding world that had ever been put into effect. When she had been told she would marry Malfoy, she did it based on a law that had been passed, but she had yet to actually look up the exact wording of the law. She hoped to find a loop hole that would help her cause to divorce Malfoy as soon as possible. Using every ounce of her strength, she carried the heavy book to a nearby table and began to read.

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"This isn't possible." Hermione muttered to herself, later on. She quickly turned to the index and read down the list and it only confirmed her suspicions. 

There was no such law that Dumbledore had described to Hermione and Draco. But if there was no law, then why did Dumbledore lie to us? Hermione thought in confusion, not imaging in a million years that Dumbledore would lie to her.

"Oh your here." Draco said with disgust and then upon seeing Hermione's surprised look said, "What? You've lost the ability to read have you?" she shook her head.

"You remember the law Dumbledore had told us about don't you?" Draco was taken aback but thought for a moment.

"I do, why is that important?" Hermione motioned for him to look at the book that was open in front of her. When Draco gave her a look that clearly said he wasn't going to be going anywhere near her, she sighed. "Trust me, I'm not going to bite. This is the complete book of laws that have ever been passed in the wizarding world, and I don't see the law that Dumbledore had described to us. I want to make sure I'm not skipping something." Draco raised an eyebrow but made his way to read over Hermione's shoulder, scanning down the index as she had done.

"As always, unfortunately, your right."

"That means Dumbledore lied to us." Hermione explained. Draco nodded, puzzled by this as much as Hermione now. "But why?"

"Don't look at me Granger." he said and she sighed.

"I guess we'll have to pay Dumbledore a visit. I don't see how else we could find out the answer." she admitted. "Your fireplaces are connected to the Floo Network, aren't they?"

"Of course." Draco said.

"Come on, ferret. Don't think your not coming, if I'm able to divorce you after this, it will be sooner rather than later."

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Coughing a bit, Hermione and Draco stumbled into Dumbledore's office. Draco quickly brushed off the excess soot from the fireplace and Hermione patted down her hair. They looked up to Dumbledore who looked at them with a small smile. 

"Mister and Misses Malfoy." he said easily as if having two of his former students come through by floo into his office wasn't a surprise. "I've been expecting you, please come and sit down." he added and motioned to two chairs in front of his desk. As the two approached Dumbledore, Draco noticed that Dumbledore still had that bloody twinkle in his eye. Draco instantly knew Dumbledore was or had been clearly up to something. When they had sat down, Dumbledore offered, "Jellybean? The lemon ones are quite good." Hermione and Draco both refused. "And how is married life suiting the two of you?"

"That's what we're come to talk to you about, Professor." Hermione started. "I was in the Malfoy library this morning and I looked up the law you had described to the two of us as to why we would be married. And I found none."

"You've caught me, Misses Malfoy. There is as you've discovered, no law of that sort." Dumbledore admitted.

"Then why torture us by making us marry each other?" Draco asked.

"No need for dramatics Mister Malfoy." Dumbledore said. "There is a reason, of course to why I had you two marry." he paused. "The Dark Lord is dead as I'm well aware you know. He has been for the past two years as you know as well. He had many powerful families in his following, including yours, Mister Malfoy. They were all pureblood and because of the terror they inflicted and other acts they prevented other half bloods and muggle borns from gaining a high position in society. But because the fear has been taken away, they are starting to gain power. The purebloods aren't thrilled by this and this combined with their already grown hate for them, are very close to causing an all out war against the muggle borns and half bloods." he paused and looked to Hermione and Draco for understanding this thus far. "So what would happen if the most influential person from both sides were to marry and hopefully help the rift to heal? This is exactly the question I am hoping to answer." Hermione and Draco both blinked in shock.

"War?" Hermione asked, her voice going soft. Dumbledore nodded.

"So if we don't stay married, war will happen." Draco stated.

"I can't say for sure, of course. But most likely it will." Dumbledore predicted. Draco let out a long whistle. It almost didn't seem real to him. "I think the real question Mister Malfoy is whether your willing to commit to this. The two of you must give off a loving bond in public for this to ever work. You do not have to love each other in private, but in public you must act so. I chose both of you because I knew you were the brightest and the best students Hogwarts has ever known. And the wizarding community is more likely to follow your example if you give it time." Dumbledore turned to look at Hermione and she sighed.

"I guess I don't have a choice, really. Of course I would do anything to stop a war." Dumbledore then turned to Draco.

"I'm not my father and I don't ever want to become him." he said simply in agreement. Dumbledore nodded.

"Very well. We can only tell with time what the reaction will be. Be prepared for those who only want to see you fall, who only want blood to be shed." Hermione and Draco nodded.

"We'll do our best." Hermione assured him. Dumbledore nodded.

"Go on, my children, may luck be on your side."

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Sorry for taking so long to update but I hope it was worth it! Please review! 


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